2.5k police officers are on hand to oversee pilgrims during Jyotiba’s Chaitra Yatra today

Kolhapur: The MSRTC has sent out an extra fleet of 150 buses from Panchaganga ghat in preparation for Tuesday’s annual Jyotiba Chaitra yatra.

There are 150 CCTV cameras at Panchaganga Ghat and Jyotiba Hill.
With a 50% remission for female travelers, Santosh Bogare, divisional traffic controller for MSRTC, Kolhapur, said, “This year the women devotee count for Jyotiba is expected to be high.”
The district government, Wadi-Ratnagiri grampanchayat, Kolhapur police, Paschim Maharashtra Devasthan Samiti, and others have made all the required preparations across the hill to ensure a smooth conduct of the yatra.

Tuesday at 12pm, Kolhapur district collector Amol Yedge will preside over the start of the Sasan-Kathis (giant painted bamboo sticks) parade, which will begin with the Lord Jyotiba’s abhishek at 5am, carried out by Panhala tahsildar.

2,775 police officers have been stationed across the hill. Mahendra Pandit, the superintendent of police, reviewed the security, traffic detours, and all of the plans. 320 more police personnel from neighboring districts have been brought in to supplement the roughly 8 to 10 lakh pilgrims expecting on the major day of the yatra.
Panchaganga Ghat has showers to help prevent drowning.
Panchaganga Ghat Conservation Committee and Bhakt Mandal were established. In order to prevent drowning deaths, Panchganga Ghat has erected 24 showers for both sexes after pilgrims bathe along the riverbank.